Are gas station attendant signature necessary at the beginning and end of a ride?

#1
Hi there, I am leaving on my cross country trip in 10 days and planning on attempting my first iron butt challenge from Custer, South Dakota to Michigan City, Indiana. I have printed out the ride logs to fill out and read all the rules. I am planning on getting gas regularly and taking a picture of each receipt with the time and date next to my odometer on my bike. My question is- if I have a proper time and date stamp on my receipt at the beginning and end (as well as at the stops on the way) is it still necessary for me to get a gas station attendant to sign off on the start and end forms?
 

Ira

Staff member
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IBR Staff
#2
First, due to the current pandemic, we have changed the rules such that start and end witnesses are no long required. Please see the rules page at

http://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/ssseries/index.html

If you do decide to use the alternative documentation method requiring a start and end witness, note that you don't need to have your witness present where your collect your start and end receipts. In fact, you can have a start witness sign the evening before an o-dark-thirty start. Similarly, if ending the ride late at night by obtaining your end receipt, you can wait until the morning to obtain your ending witness signature.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association
 
#3
Thanks so much. I will test the starting gas station the day before to make sure the receipt has a time and date stamp. I've also already asked the ending gas station to verify that their receipts have time and date stamps. So I should be good. Thank you.
 

Ira

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#4
Also remember that we will accept any computer-generated receipt with time, date, and location. So if the gas station doesn't spit out a good receipt, you can stop the clock with an ATM or other receipt.

Ira
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#5
Just a couple more tips. At your end point, don't fill the tank completely full. Pump in a gallon and see if you get a good receipt. If so, the clock is stopped and you have plenty of time to add more gas. However, if the dated business receipt is lacking critical info, you have more room in the tank to go get another receipt across the street at a different gas station. I admit to dumping $0.10 of gas on the ground to get a second receipt once. And very small gas station credit card purchases often trigger fraud alerts that sometimes require calling the CC company to get removed.

First step if you get a bad receipt is to go inside and ask for a receipt for pump # what ever you're on. (remember to check the pump # before goign in, it makes it a lot easier if you know). If that receipt is still bad, ask if they have an ATM and check your balance, getting a printed receipt. All this takes some time, but is faster than going to a second unknown station.

If you're still needing a good receipt, time to hit the road looking for another place. If you know you will be very close on time limits, you should have an alternative location already planned.

I like the alternate method myself. I usually get my wife or neighbor to document the odo the night before and depending on how late I get in, the morning after. Ideally you don't travel too far between your end receipt and your end odo witness, but just add a note if you did so they can see how that fits.

Another tip - If you ask a Police or Fire/public officer to sign your witness form, don't call it a witness form. Some won't want to "witness" anything, as it seems it might put them in a liability situation. Witness means something more to them than to us. Call it "document". As in, "will you document my odometer for me, I'm doing an Iron Butt Association ride and need someone else to document my ending/starting odo".
 

rneal55555

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#6
I've used Hotel Desk Clerks when traveling you'll likely be heading to one at the end anyway and the hotel recipt is good secondary documentation if need be.
 
#7
Just a couple more tips. At your end point, don't fill the tank completely full. Pump in a gallon and see if you get a good receipt. If so, the clock is stopped and you have plenty of time to add more gas. However, if the dated business receipt is lacking critical info, you have more room in the tank to go get another receipt across the street at a different gas station. I admit to dumping $0.10 of gas on the ground to get a second receipt once. And very small gas station credit card purchases often trigger fraud alerts that sometimes require calling the CC company to get removed.

First step if you get a bad receipt is to go inside and ask for a receipt for pump # what ever you're on. (remember to check the pump # before goign in, it makes it a lot easier if you know). If that receipt is still bad, ask if they have an ATM and check your balance, getting a printed receipt. All this takes some time, but is faster than going to a second unknown station.

If you're still needing a good receipt, time to hit the road looking for another place. If you know you will be very close on time limits, you should have an alternative location already planned.

I like the alternate method myself. I usually get my wife or neighbor to document the odo the night before and depending on how late I get in, the morning after. Ideally you don't travel too far between your end receipt and your end odo witness, but just add a note if you did so they can see how that fits.

Another tip - If you ask a Police or Fire/public officer to sign your witness form, don't call it a witness form. Some won't want to "witness" anything, as it seems it might put them in a liability situation. Witness means something more to them than to us. Call it "document". As in, "will you document my odometer for me, I'm doing an Iron Butt Association ride and need someone else to document my ending/starting odo".
Thank you so much. I think it will be nerve-wracking at the end. So it is helpful to plan ahead according to your instructions. I've checked the town I will end up in and it has about 10 24 hour fuel stations. I've called two of them to make sure they are still open 24 hours. But it is very helpful to know not to fill the tank all the way. That will make it a lot easier to add more fuel and get another receipt if necessary. Thank you.
 
#8
I've used Hotel Desk Clerks when traveling you'll likely be heading to one at the end anyway and the hotel recipt is good secondary documentation if need be.
Ok. Sounds good. So it sounds like it is a good idea to use both methods just to be safe. I think I will do that. I will have the gas station attendants at the beginning and end sign and then provide a photo of the time and date stamped receipt with the odometer on my bike as well. Thank you for the advice.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#9
Hi there, I am leaving on my cross country trip in 10 days and planning on attempting my first iron butt challenge from Custer, South Dakota to Michigan City, Indiana.<...>
I've used the Conoco at US-16 Bypass, just off of I-90 as a corner location myself not long ago...

There's more than a few ways to get from Custer to Rapid City; it seems (to Google, anyway) the distance is about the same.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#10
Most people do their first SS1k in about 18 hours. Your route, as an example, going from the Sinclair station;
Sinclair, 133 W Mt Rushmore Rd, Custer, SD 57730

To the Travel America station; (off I-94)
TA, 6100 Sawyer Rd, Sawyer, MI 49125

Maps out on Google Maps as 1029 miles and has no potentially shorter routes. I would get a corner receipt at either the LaGrand Station at 3851 Eglin St, Rapid City, SD 57703 or the McDonalds/Conoco just before getting on I-90. After that it's every 300-350 miles or less depending on your gas stops. This routes out to 15 hours of travel time, giving you plenty of time for gas stops and a nice sit down lunch. I prefer to start in darkness and end before full darkness, giving me the darkness when I am most alert. Heading East you will have the sun in your eyes in the morning, but when you are more fatigued at the end it will be behind you. You are also changing time zones twice on that route, so remember to note that on your gas receipts with a MDT, CDT or EDT as you move into the next time zone. This will help keep your head strait too. ;)

If you're planning on taking I-80/90 remember it's a toll road. If you don't have one already, you might want to get a toll tag. I strongly recommend the FL E-Pass, as it's the most comprehensive toll tag out at this time. https://epass.cfxway.com/EpassWeb/
 
#11
Good point to not completely fill your tank at the last gas station. The planned station at my end location printed out with no location address. Luckily I hadn't completely filled the tank so rode another couple of miles and topped off to get my ending time. It added another twenty minutes to my elapsed time (I was very slow to process the disappointment and get on the road for the next gas station) but it didn't make a difference overall.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#12
Good point to not completely fill your tank at the last gas station. The planned station at my end location printed out with no location address. Luckily I hadn't completely filled the tank so rode another couple of miles and topped off to get my ending time. It added another twenty minutes to my elapsed time (I was very slow to process the disappointment and get on the road for the next gas station) but it didn't make a difference overall.
Imagine that exact scenario - at the end of a 48 State ride!

A few more miles, and another 30-odd minutes for me. Fortunately, I'd scouted out my ending location (via Google...) and noted two different places.

I treated myself to a candy bar and a Gatorade at the second location before hitting the road for home. I had no concerns about time, since I had a bit less than two days before I was out of clock for that ride.